I'm looking to build a gaming computer. I want it to be high performance but not a supercomputer. Think a lower end high-end pc if that makes any sense =p (this may even be considered a mid-range pc. Computer technology advances so quickly that what i think is fast may just be slow xD)

This is my first time designing a new computer and these are the part i picked out yesterday. It would be great if people could point out my weak points in the design that may limit performance and the things i overdid. I'm also looking to cut the price a bit. I also need to know what type of power supply i'll be needing. I currently just picked out one of the higher wattage ones on newegg just to make its enough =p.

Some other notes:
- I'm interested in SLI that's why i chose nvidia motherboard and GPU
- I think my motherboard or gpu may be a little too strong so focus on those a lot
- I didn't include a case or fans yet because those are critical to performance

Motherboard:
EVGA NVIDIA nForce 780i
$239.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188024

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
$329.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115041

GPU:
EVGA NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB
$285.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130338

Memory:
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2x2GB)
$87.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220269

Hard Drive:
Western Digital 1TB SATA hard drive
$149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136151

Power Supply (not sure if this is a good choice):
OCZ GameXStream 700W
$114.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341002

CD/DVD BURNER:
ASUS Black
$26.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135156

CD/DVD Drive:
ASUS Black DVD-ROM CD-ROM
$14.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135172

Monitor:
Acer 24 inch widescreen LCD
$329.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824009113

Total Price:
$1,580.91

Any help appreciated =)

Nice build, only other options I would say is look into 4870 crossfire, but that's something I'm not sure is better atm. Although the P5Q pro and seagate 500gb combo deal is hard to pass. ($180 for a good mobo although only x8 in crossfire and a 500 sata drive).

Maybe the Corsair 750w tx powersupply instead? Although that is a nice deal. 56 amps, 700w for $80 vs 60 amps 700w single rail for $99.

Will you be overclocking, if so maybe get 1066 ram by Corsair, g. skill or ocz.

u might wanna consider a 4870x2, if you have that kinda money anyway
it does well in high resolutions

If you buy a 9800GX2 with a 700W PSU you can't add any more video cards. That means you can downsize the motherboard to something around $100 based on a better chipset like P45 and with a single PCI-E x16 slot.

Good CPU/RAM/burner. You can ditch the DVD-ROM, just use the burner for reading too.

I don't know about the monitor, but the price is good and the reviews OK.

$150 for a 1TB drive at 5400rpm is wrong, unless you are are running for the Green party and have to make a point with the voters. I'd prefer two WD6400AAKS for $170 total, with 1.28 TB total and better speed.

Case: RC-690. Add 1 to 4 S-Flex SFF21E fans when you add the second video card. Until then they're not really necessary IMO.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137

I'm guessing you're not interested in overclocking. With a Q9550, you'll get plenty of speed already anyway. This means you don't need to buy an aftermarket cooler or more expensive RAM.

MB and video card: these days the best chipset available is X48, and the HD 4850 or HD 4870 cards are excellent bang for the buck. Try something liek P5E Deluxe or GA-X48-DS4, combined with one or two of those cards. You can even mix one HD 4850 with one HD 4870 and get performance somewhere in the middle between HD 4850 Crossfire and HD 4870 Crossfire.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128336 GA-X48-DS4, $235 after shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131317 P5E Deluxe, $230
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102747 Sapphire HD 4850, $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102748 Sapphire HD 4870, $285

There's also an option like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102768 Sapphire HD 4870X2, $570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299 P5Q Pro, $140

With P5E+2*HD 4870 you pay $90 more and get slightly lower performance than with the P5Q Pro + HD 4870 X2. However, you have the advanatge that you can buy one card now and another later, and it may be cheaper later.

Almost everyone seems to say the 9800 gx2 has better performance than a single 4870, but cf two of them will out perform quad sli of the 2 9800 gx2. Power consumption is similar. Only problem I can find with not going 9800 gx2 are the motherboards don't seem as good as the ati boards...

Thanks for the fast input, it's really helpful.

What do you suggest as an cheaper motherboard option assuming i keep the graphics card and processor and allow room for another graphics card to be added in the future (I know i'll be upgrading this as i use it in college. I'm a junior in high school atm). I'll look into it myself but considering im new to buying computer parts a lot of stuff makes my head spin. Too much to learn in a short amount of time =p

Will my current setup run 1920 x 1200 smoothly? If not i may just have to get a more expensive graphics card. If not, I think I'm set.

Oohh and as a side note, is vista worth using for gaming or is the gaming world still running on xp. Either way I'm pirating my OS.

Get vista 64, the bugs have all been worked out by now. People that complain about it are still thinking about a year ago.

I would recommend the P5Q pro and the 4870 or 9800 gx2, I know it's a crossfire board but it's probably better than any of the sli boards if you aren't going to add another card later.

The 9800 gx2 and 4870 are very comparable in performance.

Pros:
4870 has better AA handling with its 512 gddr5.
slightly less power consumption
dx10.1 on the 4870.

Cons: around 5 fps less than the 9800 gx2 currently. (better drivers in the future should solve that problem)

Summary, the 9800 gx2 is a bit faster then the 4870 atm. But the 4870 will probably gain ahead when drivers get better, and you can add another one down the road if you so choose...